With most of their infield back, including a third-year pitcher and three seniors, the Portland softball team is looking for another solid season in the Capital Area Activities Conference White and beyond.

The strength of the Raiders team may start with its battery. Junior Allie Grys will be returning to the circle after being one of the top hurlers in the area in 2012. Senior catcher Samantha Parkhouse will be back behind the plate and her speed will once again give Portland a base runner at the top of the batting order.

Senior shortstop Keegan Lehman, junior second baseman Madison Adams and junior first baseman Allison Russell will also be back in the lineup in 2013, giving the Raiders a veteran presence on the infield. Raider coach Jack Anderson will need to fill the void at third base however, which was vacated by 2012 graduate Olivia Platte.

"We have a lot of experience coming back," Anderson said. "Our pitching should be strong again and our hitting should be pretty good, too."

Newcomers Alyssa Pung (3B) and Katie Schrauben (Utility) are expected to contribute this season as well.

The outfield will feature senior Whitney Hoppes, but with a preseason injury to returning senior Allison Lanz, Anderson will need to turn to a couple of new faces to patrol the grass.

"We only have one outfielder coming back, so we need to work on fielding the ball and make sure that we are strong in the field," Anderson said.

On offense, the Raiders return much of their lineup from last spring, however, they will need to replace graduates Platte and Courtney Schrauben. Both are now playing softball in college.

The CAAC White is expected to be competitive yet again in 2013. Along with the usual top teams in the league (Portland, Lakewood and Williamston) Lansing Catholic is expected to be improved this spring.

As usual, the goals are set high for the Raiders. Anderson said they are focused on defending their CAAC White title and winning the a district title.

"We always aim to win a league and district title, then go from there," he said.

The Raiders will open the season on April 6 in Kalamazoo at the Comstock Varsity Invitational. They will then play two doubleheaders on the road before hitting the home field on Apirl 13 in their annual Invitational, which is part of the Portland Spring Sports Carnival.